Eclipse
by SilverCrystal029
Summary: A mission gone wrong leaves Rogue and Logan traumatized, hurt, & changed. Forced into her mind by the abuse of Genoshan guards, Rogue returns with Logan a regressed version of herself. Will she ever be the person she was, or will she always feel safest wherever she's gone?
1. Well

"What the _hell is wrong_ with her, Chuck?" The look in the former weapons project's eyes scared even the bald telepath, and he trusted the man fully. But in them, he saw a man at his breaking point. Pushed to the edge by incarceration, abuse, and torture. The torture of _innocents,_ ones he'd sworn to protect. No matter what the costs. Charles Xavier was aware that everyone had their limit, and Logan was fast approaching his.

He thought carefully of his words, knowing what he said and how he said it would steer this whole experience. It wasn't easy, not for any of them. One of them had changed. Maybe, indefinitely. And everyone was just going to have to adjust to it. There were simply no other options. "Charles," Logan's left eye is twitching, he's still covered in muss and soot. Uncomfortable, like he may need to grab her and bolt at any moment.

_"Logan-"_

_"Hey, kid." Rogue was sitting on roof, by herself as she usually did these days. The mansion still wasn't back to normal after she had a lapse in the control of her amassed psyches. It was one in particular giving her a lot of trouble, and that one can deal a lot of damage. If she wants. Some walls need to be plastered, windows replaced. Floors rebuilt. It was a bad episode, one of her worst. _

_But Logan, Scott, and the others weren't giving up. Even if she maybe had. Logan stood beside her as the sun dipped below the horizon, a cowboy hat on his head and a dark shirt on. Some things never changed. Rogue, however, had changed a lot. And it'd mostly been very difficult, at least for her. She never straightened her hair much these days. She didn't seem to want to do anything but stay in her room._

_Haunting, blue eyes flash in her head. "Rogue?"_

_"I messed up the mansion again," She mumbled, refusing to look at him. He stooped down beside her with a sigh. _

_"I know, it's okay. You couldn't help it, Rogue." She turned to him with an accusing stare. _

_"I hurt Kitty. And, Scott." _

_"It was an accident." He pressed to her. "I've hurt people too, on accident. Sometimes, not. Do you hold that against me?" Rogue was silent for an answer, because the answer was obvious. Of course, not. "Everyone knows what you've been through. Really. It's okay, Rogue." She hated when people said that. She didn't know why. A woman was dead, what she went through just didn't begin to cover the half of it. _

_She sucked her teeth as though it served as a response. Logan frowned, his patience with Rogue's moping wearing thin. "Listen, Stripes. I get your attitude, to a point. But, there's a point where ya gotta approach things a little differently-" She turned, quickly, her eyes shining brighter than they had in weeks. _

_"What could Ah do differently about-" _

_"I'm not attacking you." He cut in firmly, his face hard. "I just don't want to see you punish yourself anymore." He stood taller. "I came up to tell you we got a mission." She cocked an eyebrow in surprise at him. Ever since, she'd been opting out of missions. Everyone knew that. "No, but's, Rogue. I need your help, and yours only. Gotta get outta this slump somehow, never figured out how to get you to help yourself..." He grumbled, the look in his eyes soft. "So, help me help some mutants in trouble." _

_She huffed, but slowly creaked to a stand beside the man. She had a dark green hood pulled over her head, unruly auburn and silver wisps poking out. "Ah don't got much of a choice, do Ah..." He sneered at her, lighting a strong smelling cigar. She wrinkled her nose.  
_

_"Smart girl." _

Charles gave Logan a pleading look as they stood outside the infirmary. _"Logan,_" He began, his tone soothing, like he was speaking to a child. "You know that I do not exactly _know._" He took a breath. "Her mind right now, has even more land mines than _yours_ at your worst." Logan inhaled and it turned into a snarl before he could help himself. Something about Rogue wasn't right. In fact, it was wrong. _Really,_ really wrong. And, the last thing he wanted to hear was that he didn't know what that was. If Charles Xavier didn't know, then who did? "I cannot, I_ will not_ violate her mind further and risk making matters worse." He hardened his stare.

He knows how the rough man loved the mutant girl. They had always stuck closest together, and Logan had made it his personal mission to protect her. Everyone knew that. The problem was he felt he failed, and he would go to any lengths to make that right. Crazy ones. Desperate ones. He spoke, his voice barely above a whisper._ "So, what do we do."_

Charles leaned his chin against his fingers. "We may have to wait, give it time. Rogue is fragile right now, Logan. Or else, this wouldn't be happening. We must take care in the things we do next." Logan inhaled sharply. He was not optimistic enough to expect a quick fix, but it was beginning to all seem more involved than he'd hoped. He would find time, make time, go back in time to the ones who _hurt_ her and make them pay-

A pitiful scream tore Logan from his morbid, raging thoughts. Charles was already calling out to anyone near, and Logan flew deep inside the infirmary faster than Pietro could've. He was by Rogue's side in a flash, flying by Jean and Scott on his way. _'They were supposed to-'_

Rogue, who was draped in a green and white cloak Ororo had found for her, was cowering behind Hank. Terrified. Shaking. Remy stood, his face shattered into a million pieces as as she shook in fear of him. He had never seen anything like it. She had the_ eyes_ of a child, the movement of a child. She had completely regressed. He wasn't even sure if she could speak. He felt nausea bubble in his stomach as he wondered what happened.

_"R-Remy._.. Perhaps, when they told you she wasn't_ well,_ it had a different connotation." The doctor offered with an awkward smile. She was gripping to his blue, furry arms tight, hiding the red eyed thief from her line of vision. She moved quickly when Logan approached her, his savage stare on the cajun. Sniffing around and flirting with a Rogue who could _defend herself_ was one thing, but he'd have no part in having Remy around this child-like one.

A growl rumbled in his throat as Scott filed in, red faced, with Jean behind him. "I tried to_ tell_ you," He hissed. Jean placed a gentle hand on Remy's shoulder, his stare still locked on Rogue.

"We think she discovered a way to cycle through her psyches, and got stuck..." Jean explained sadly, her eyes shut.

_"Y'tink?_" Remy repeated, his voice raising. What happened to her?

_"As you can see_, she's too fragile for Jean or the professor to read." Scott butt in, his tone condescending. "She's got to be well and strong enough to do it on her own." He moved closer to Remy, Jean frowning.

_"Scott-"_

"That means she needs a stable environment, with responsible & caring people she trusts around her." They all turned to the girl, anchored behind Logan and hidden from Remy's sight. "Don't know _why_, but she obviously doesn't trust you." Logan looked between them, deciding it smarter to just let Scott speak because he was not sure what words might come out, especially with the girl clinging to him in fear. Like a child. Her affect makes him want to slide anyone who looks at her, sideways.

"What Scott _means,_ is," His girlfriend sent him a look the promised a telepathic reprimanding as well. "We really have to respect Rogue's boundaries and comfort levels during this time. It's _crucial_ to her recovery, maybe even to figuring out her powers. This wouldn't be happening without a reason." Remy sighed, cutting himself off from saying more. He doesn't know if his heart could bare to know what made her like this.

"I think we all agree it best if you give her some space for a while." Jean looked at Scott in disbelief, and the cajun looked to the ground.

"For while we figure things_ out_, Remy." Hank added quickly. "We want Rogue's recovery to come as soon as possible." Remy clamped his mouth shut, then his eyes.

"Got a _problem_, Gumbo-" Logan began, the hairs raising on the back of his neck. Rogue gripped the sleeve of his leather jacket tightly and whimpered.

_"Logan,"_ Jean chastised_. 'This is hard enough.'_

_'I don't want to see her like this any longer than I have to.'_ He responded, his voice in his head low and gravelly. She could tell just how much whatever had happened had worn on him, too. She had never seen him so close to the edge like this.

_'Oh, Logan.'_

_'I know that, neither do I.'_ She told him patiently. _'But, tearing into Gambit isn't helping her heal any faster._' Logan's face soured. _'This hurts him too, whether you or Scott believe it or not. I feel it.'_

He let silence answer her, his stare on Remy unflinching. He wanted to hear him agree to stay away from Rogue for the time being.

_"Non_," Remy answered, his voice flat. He looked around the room for a long time, skipping over Rogue. "Remy don'." He left the infirmary without another word.

"Good," Logan snarled out of instinct. Jean huffed beside Scott, her head in her hands. It was going to be a long process, that she already knew. She looked to Rogue, shrouded in a long, green cape. The hood was up, almost covering her silver bangs. She had the same innocence as a child, one Jean wasn't always sure she had ever possessed. Being raised by Mystique didn't seem to leave much time for a childhood, and Rogue had always carried herself in such an adult way.

Whatever had happened, it'd taken Rogue's mind beyond it's limits. Just the thought made Jean's chest hurt. Scott wrapped an arm around her, his stare distant. This was something that was going to affect them all.

"Jean," Everyone turned their attention to the tired psychic in the doorway. "Could I ask you, Scott, and Hank to look after Rogue for a moment. I'd like to finish speaking with Logan." Scott nodded firmly, his face set like a cadet.

"Of course," Jean answered softly. "I'll take her outside, with Kitty. Come on." She reached, grabbing Rogue carefully by the sleeve of her cloak. She didn't object, following closely behind the telepath as she lead her. Scott followed dutifully after, alert and making sure both Jean and a vulnerable Rogue were fine. Logan huffed but followed after Charles, finding that he didn't want to talk much at all.

"I know it is a big adjustment period. Huge." He turned to face the stout man seriously. "I_ know_ that you care about her, very much so that it pains you._ Scares_ you, to see her like this." Logan stared past the bald man, his silent and slightly shaking demeanor answering for him. "I have to ask you this now, with her best interest in mind _and_ yours." This garners a strange look from the man. "Are you up to stepping up into the role that is required of you? One that is very near paternal at this point. Are you capable, _can you_, even if you want to?" Their eyes locked. "A part of this regression has to do with how Rogue views you, relates herself to you,_ and_..."

Their eyes met for a solemn moment. Logan didn't even want to think about what had happened to them on Genosha. He couldn't. "And, whatever happened there, with you_. In front of you-"_

Logan lashed out suddenly, his claws free and his face red. Charles didn't seem moved or alarmed by the display of rage and frustration, he had been expecting it. Whatever had happened, it had not been good. And, he was none too keen to learn whatever it was himself. He knew he needed to in order to help Rogue. And Logan it seemed, as well. Rogue's mind was out of the question, the thoughts of what damage a psychic tampering could further do to her kept him up at night. But, there was another option.

"Just, just..." The clawed man inhaled sharply. "Tell me how to_ help_ her Chuck, I'll do it. As for..." His face twisted. "What you just asked me, I won't do anything differently than I have been before, so... Yes._ I will be there for her_, however I need to be." Charles nodded, least shocked of all with that answer.

"I thought you would. Then, let me read your mind. Experience this through your eyes so I can_ fully_ understand what's happening to her, and how to help." Logan scrubbed a burly hand over his face. He hated few things more than than having a psychic in his head. But for her, he would do it. He nodded stiffly, his face red.

"If it'll help her, fine." He sat down, somewhat reluctantly. Charles nodded, preparing himself and hoping Logan was ready.

"I assume this will be unpleasant. I am sorry."

"I know that, Chuck. Let's get on with it."

* * *

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who's read or reviewed!_


	2. San Francisco

_6 Months earlier_

* * *

"Why the _fuck_ can't I reach any of their communicators? The _three of them_ are across the_ damn_ country!" Logan howled, his eyes mad with mounting rage and worry. For Rogue's 19th birthday, to close out the summer, the professor had permitted the her, Kitty, and Kurt to travel anywhere for good behavior. Logan had been downright against it (three students with passive mutations to look after each other, hell no) and Scott shared his same worry.

"What if someone is watching us? _Planning_ something, maybe we should all go..." And, the professor mused that it seemed Scott wanted to get out of survival training with Jean, planned for around the same time. They deserved it, he said. They were safe and trained and most importantly, together. And, then they saw the L.A footage, that the Avengers had assembled. There was an altercation happening, apparently with some students of a certain New York school...

"Language, Logan." Ororo reminded him, her face tense. She was plenty upset herself that S.H.I.E.L.D agents were picking on their students. She stood, her silver hair pulled back and a plum, maxi dress on.

"I thought we had some sort of_ agreement_ with them." Scott's shaking voice was directed at Logan, who was in no mood. He had dealt with the shifty organization, sure, but he wouldn't call them friends. Or allies.

"We were _supposed_ to," Logan snarled, one of his claws already pointing at the X-Men's leader. His vote had been to not let them go, so he wasn't taking any shit. "I'll tell ya what I tell them, to _never trust S.H.I.E.L.D._" He turned his attention back on the telepath.

"We can get there in less than an hour-" Jean tried to point out levelly, but nobody seemed to notice.

"The damage is done. The news, journalists, government is already there..." Ororo placed her fingers on the bridge of her nose in annoyance. _"Poor,_ Rogue."

"They're scrambling their communicators, they _planned_ this. Marked them, followed them-"

"Scott." Jean sighed. She wanted to believe that it wasn't as bad as it seemed, that they wouldn't target mutant teenagers on their lonesome.

"One-Eye is right." Logan snarled, ignoring his dirty look. "Something smells. Red, 'Ro. Get Brasíl and Iceman to the Blackbird and let's get a move on."

* * *

_San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge_

* * *

It made no sense.

This was supposed to be a leisure trip. Nobody was supposed to know who they were. They were sight seeing at the Golden Gate Park, for Christ's sakes. That's where Iron Man touched down first.

Kitty had talked Rogue into wearing shorts (black, and with fishnets and Doc Martens), with a black cami and a cropped, black jacket. Rogue was committed to not getting any sun, or as little as possible. The former was wearing a white beach cover up with a pink bikini on under, and Kurt just his brightly printed swim trunks. The trip had been suspiciously event free. Lovely. Peaceful. The trio were just about to log a call home when it happened.

Iron Man descended quickly, hitting a few buttons in his arm console that rendered the communicators worthless. The sun beating down on the teenagers, Kitty shielded her eyes in disbelief. "Uh?" She began, eyeing the robotic suit wearily. They had heard of Iron Man, the Avengers too. What did they want them? Kurt edged backwards, his eyes darting around for an escape.

Rogue growled just like Wolverine taught her, eyeing the man skeptically. He wasn't there on friendly terms, she knew that._ 'Think fast, Rogue.'_ She thought, this is exactly what Logan had been afraid of. The front part of the machine disappeared to revealed a black haired man, close to the professor's age.

"Students of Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters? _Kurt Wagner? Katherine Pryde, Anna Marie Darkholme_?" Rogue's blood ran ice cold when he called out her government name, something only Logan and the two mutants beside her knew.

"Hey?!_ Vhat gives_?" Kurt cried, pointing a finger.

"Yeah, who told you all of our personal information!" Kitty squeaked, realizing their vacation had been effectively ruined. She wouldn't be surprised if the X-Jet flew overhead, but she didn't realize how badly she'd wish it did.

The man known as Iron Man smirked at that. "You'd be surprised who has your information, kid." Needles flew out of his arm and darted out, one into Kitty's neck. The other, into Kurt's arm. Rogue cartwheeled at the last second, the needle flying between her legs. _'What the fuck?'_ By the time she was right side up, Kitty and Kurt were laying motionless on the asphalt.

_"K-Kurt! Kitty!"_

The air whooshed painfully out of Rogue's lungs as she realized she was alone. Utterly alone, in California. And, her teammates were knocked out. Iron Man was staring at his gold and red machine in confusion. "Damn it," He grumbled, glaring at Rogue. "Missed her." Rogue was furiously wriggling out of a glove, biting her lip hard not to cr_y. 'You got this, pretend this is just the dang Danger Room. You'd kick it's ass-'_ "Your skin is no match for machinery." Tony waved his arms as his face was covered once again.

"W-_Why_?" Rogue called underneath silver bangs, beach kissed waves blowing in front of scared eyes. She watched in disbelief as a hulking, green giant appeared behind him. A slender woman with deep, red hair. Like Jean's. "We, we haven-"

_"Sorry,_" Iron Man cut in. "It's a_ long_ story." Rogue watched a a red caped man with a winged helmet appeared beside him in a flash of lightning. Without another word, she stooped beside Kurt and touched his bare, blue skin. "You kind of haven't done it, _yet_." They watched as she reached and touched the unconscious girl as well, standing protectively in front of them even though she shook. "It's all really, really confusing."

"We got a hold of some books." If the situation wasn't so serious, Rogue would've rubbed her eyes. The handsome, hundred year old, blonde haired mascot for America was standing in front of her, with his shield and everything. Logan had told her plenty about him. "Some books that say things happen."

"Problem is," Spy-Jean began, her cold stare locked on the mutant teenager. "Those things. They started coming_ true_. Legend is, a _mutant_ wrote down these visions."

"A mutant that can tell the future." Tony finished, his face grim beneath his suit. The diaries had told of a fate to befall one of them, an Avenger. And, they had gone rogue to ensure that it didn't come true. "And, well. This just can't come true. Period." Rogue felt the ground pitching beneath her feet, wondering where she would teleport first and hoping she made the right choice.

_'I hope Logan trained me for this moment.'_

_"Hey, listen." Rogue wasn't sure why Logan had pulled her aside for this talk. If he was expecting her to mother hen Kitty and Kurt, she earned the right to go on vacation and she wouldn't tie any of it up watching them. "If shit goes left, if we can't get there..." It was the last thing on her mind, but of course, he was thinking it. "You do whatever you gotta to get you all back here." _

_Her stare dropped to the grass. _

_"Rogue-" _

_"Yeah, yeah. Ah got ya." She was definitely the fighter of the group. Kitty was a spitfire, but she wasn't tough. Not hard, like she was. She couldn't do what she had to. And Kurt was damn near a pacifist outside of team things, carried a rosary with him. Prayed. "Ah will, Ah promise." _

Now, it was time to put up or shut up. "Haulin' me in for somethin' Ah_ haven't_ done?" Rogue hissed, her eyes dark as she hoped nobody noticed her missing gloves. Hoped they all underestimated her, that they weren't well briefed on the chaos she could reign. "Don't sound like the _Avengers_ thing to do." She watched Captain America's face harden, him exchange a few micro-expressions with some teammates.

"We'll get this all squared away," He assured, taking a step closer._ 'Not now,_' She thought, flinching_. 'Don't move prematurely, you always do that. He's alway tellin' you-'_ She stumbled, fostering a bit of sympathy from the other superhero. _'Just a kid,_' He thought. "Look, I'm sorry. But... These books have predicted some dangerous outcomes for you, knowing you're an X-Man and all, so..."

"You gotta come with us." Fake Jean finished, her face impassive. That's when she teleported. Iron Man fired off a round in shock, cursing when he realized she'd taken her friends' powers.

"She has powers, I _repeat_ we are on high alert!" Tony shouted to his teammates, watching to see where she resurfaced. It was hovering over the Hulk.

"God, no..." A spy was called Black Widow to some, Natasha to others._ 'Not him.'_ Everyone began screaming, but it was too late. A porcelain hand touched green skin, and then something changed in Rogue. Maybe his unpredictable mutation, maybe his gamma radiation poisoning. But, touching the Hulk _was not_ like touching the others. Her mind exploded into a green fog of rage, her absorption bringing even him to his knees.

Captain America tossed his massive shield, that looked like it was made out of the same stuff as Logan's skeleton. He stares in disbelief as the metal passes right through the mutant, her skin turning to metal. "What in _god's_ name..." An archer that went previously unnoticed to the girl fired explosive rounds in the sky, people screaming and trying to run around this skirmish.

Rogue disappeared in a flash of smoke, this time reappearing behind the massive, Icelandic looking man with the beautiful hair. _"THOR-_" The man machine shouted, but it was too late. Rogue reached up and grabbed him, her fingers indenting the flesh on his face. _'What is this, this lass-'_ He thought, almost amused she managed to touch him.

He became afraid when he felt the energy and power being drained before his eyes. "She needs to be neutralized,_ NOW._" Tony screamed, trying to aim a laser at her. He fired it off, but the damage was already done. Rogue possessed the invulnerability and massive strength of the Hulk, now Thor's near god-like abilities, Storm like control of lightning, and flight.

She was already a nightmare._ "Tony!"_ Captain America screamed, lightning crashing right next to him. He stumbled, his feet hitting the concrete hard. Soon, the sky was dark, and rain was showering over them. Rogue hovered in the air, her head feeling foggier than usual from the rapid touching_. 'Please, guys... Get here soon.'_

"Please, _don't make me fight anymore._" She whispered, watching as both the giant and the god seemed too dazed to really fight. _'Bruce Banner. The Green Guy? T-Thor, Thor of Asgard, Son Of Odin. The Lightbringer, God Of Thunder!'_ Thunder clapped in the sky as more lightning struck the ground.

_"Repulsor blast!"_ Tony cried, the fizzling bomb flying towards her. Rogue backhanded the bomb back in the street, shouting as she felt the earth rumble. The red head pitched to her feet, the ground was shaking so bad_. 'Is that me?'_ Rogue wondered, remembering Lance. Angry and frustrated, her mind drifted to different memories. She could sense a great deal of metal nearby.

Tears streaming down her face, she pulled the weapon out of Captain America's hands. Then, the mighty hammer wrenched from the ground, all flying towards Iron Man. The metal screeched and scraped as he flew into the ground, whole panels of metal flying off. The archer stood beside the red-head, aiming an arrow dead on at Rogue. He dropped it when it felt like a drill entered his mind.

Black Widow dropped too, holding her head. Then Cap. Then, Iron Man when he stood. Hulk and Thor as well. All of them, brought to their knees. See, when Rogue tried to absorb the Hulk she got the ability to cycle through her amassed powers. But, she was losing control. And fast. The longer she pushed herself in this heightened state, the harder it would be to regain control. _'J-Just back off, before it's really bad...'_ She thought.

_"P-Please._.." Rogue begged. "A-Ah don' wanna hurt you!"

_"You_, stop right there." She was hovering right behind her, her cropped blonde hair blowing in her face. "I'm an Avenger, you're going with me."

* * *

_Genosha, recently_

* * *

"Hey kid, we're here. Genosha, or whatever." Rogue had been quiet, moody. Silent the whole jet ride. She hadn't been too talkative ever since San Francisco. It was always on her mind, haunting her. When would be the next time she melted down? She nodded, a strange brick of dread settling in her gut. This wasn't the first one off mission they had done together, but she had a bad feeling. Something she couldn't place a finger on.

She pulled the hood over her all green X-Suit up and followed silently behind Logan, her eyes scanning wearily around them. She knew if what she felt was real, Logan would've noticed a long time ago.

"Heads up," He said, his claws already out as they stepped foot on the ground. "We_ ain't_ alone." Rogue took to the air immediately. She hadn't been excited to use her new powers, but she would to protect herself. And, definitely to protect Logan. He was already snarling, exotic foliage shaking around them.

"You're surrounded!" A voice called beyond the trees.

_"Shit,_" Rogue said between clenched teeth.

"Nice cloaking software," Another voice called out mockingly.

"So, they had time to prepare." He grinned, in spite of it all. If anyone could understand what he might get out of a fight, it was Rogue. "Let's see how we get ourselves out of this one." Rogue wrenched a nearby palm tree out of the ground, eyeing the insurgents darkly.

"With a whole new set of traumas." Rogue answered, earning a snort from the Wolverine.

* * *

Logan's snarling made continuing difficult for the telepath. He broke away, and Logan gasped, opening his eyes and looking around. He was still on campus, nowhere near Genosha. Rogue wasn't fine, but she _was_ safe. Safe from _that_ place. Charles waited patiently for Logan to gather his breath and his thoughts. "You were ambushed, I see." He filled in quietly.

"I'll say. Tha_t place_... That place was not what we thought." His stare lingered on the window, outside Scott was standing sentinel as both Kitty and Jean helped Rogue blow bubbles. It was as endearing as it was disturbing, the strange peace of it all. That this Rogue, even changed from how she was, was just fine to them all. Accepted. He sighed, his eyesight dropping to his dingy boots on the professor's expensive carpet. "They had technology that _detected_ Forge's cloaking technology." He explained with a head shake.

"This operation runs deeper than we knew." Charles filled in, wondering now who was really behind the slave state of Genosha.

"We put up a fight, kid's powers... But, it was pointless. Unless, I suppose, we _killed_ those bastards." He met Charles' eyes like a dog who'd been in the trash. _"Now?_ Chuck, I'm sorry. But I _wish_ I did." The psychic winced. "_I wish I gutted every, single one._" He inhaled sharply, frustrated and fatigued tears glittering behind his eyes. Charles only sighed, he could not blame him.

"I know. And, I thank you that you didn't-"

_"Don't_ thank me." He snapped back. "It was only because I didn't get the chance. I would've done whatever I had to, to protect her from..." He looked outside. "This." Charles nodded sympathetically.

"Can you continue?" He wiped a hand over his face.

"Yeah."


	3. Girl

"They negated our powers," Logan bit out angrily, slumped in defeat against a maroon arm chair. The more this story progressed, the more frustrated and uncomfortable he becam_e. _Agitated_._ Charles had never seen him quite like this, like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin. He pressed his mouth together in a grim line._ "Collars._ Like we're some damn animals, some of the guards were mutants,_ willingly-_"

"I know, Logan." Charles soothed, his forehead worn out from furrowing. He pursed his lips together, there was no good way to say it. Ask it. Insinuate it. "I think," He swallowed hard. "I_ think_ we are starting to get close to the source of Rogue's trauma, _aren't we_?" Logan exhaled like a bull and the telepath shut his eyes. It was all becoming painfully obvious, but he needed to know.

Logan shut his eyes and leaned forward slightly, rather the man investigate than make him say it. Charles jumped back in.

* * *

Rogue came to with a jerk, trying to lift her head and regretting it later. She whimpered before she could help it, catching the glassy stare of the mutant beside her. "_Stripe,_" He croaked, shuffling his position. _'He sounds awful...'_ She thought, forcing herself to sit up despite the blinding pain in the left side of her head and neck. Like a dagger to her spine. "E-Easy, darlin-"

She reached up and felt dried blood on her forehead_. 'Whatever got me, got me good...'_ When her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw Logan leaning worriedly over her. They were in some sort of cage or cell. And Logan was covered in dried blood as well, cuts and scars lining him that would not heal. _'No,_' She tried to fly for shits and giggles, but was unable to. Something heavy was around her neck, and Logan's as well. "You, you're_ hurt-"_

She scrambled for the bars despite the pain in her head. "You're _concussed_, don-"

She tugged on the bars, clattering metal to draw attention. "Hey!" She cried, tears in her eyes. She saw guards sitting around, doing nothing while they laid in filth. "Help,_ he's hurt!_ He's bleeding!" She called out to them desperately, scared that his mutation wouldn't work.

"Rogue, _don't-_" He begged, an anxiety behind his eyes. Charles, a third party to the memory, realizes that the guards likely _beat_ Logan for trying to get her head wound treated. He feels a heavy presence on his soul, a reluctance to go on. But, he must. Logan pulled her weakly back from the bars, praying that she did not catch their attention. But, she did.

"Sleepin' beauty s'awake." One of them drawled, a look in his eye that Logan recognized. One he'd killed over. In a fluid motion that shouldn't have been possible with his injuries, he moved Rogue behind him and back against the far wall of the cell. She can feel his desperation, a wildness she'd never seen him pushed to. He was in Hail Mary mode. He was gonna do whatever he had to to keep them both safe.

She grabbed a sweat soaked bicep, her fingers trembling. He knew she would never judge him, but it wasn't that he was afraid of. The guards wearing beige uniforms slowly made their way to the cage, their rifles over their shoulders. Logan watched them, his eyes black. Observing. Calculating. Watching every movement, his mutation was gone but his feral instincts, were not.

_"Get'er_ out the cage." The one with the shitty, out of taste porn-stache demanded. The rounder one obeyed, reaching down with his keys to open the cell. Before Rogue's concussed brain could even comprehend it, Logan flew in all his bloody fury. He descended upon the guard like he still had his claws, snarling ferociously to protect Rogue._ 'Over my dead fuckin-'_

Logan howled and hit the corner of the cage as the other guard maced him, a cruel smile on his face._ "Stop it!"_ Rogue screamed while Logan his the ground and twitched. The guard snapped his finger towards her.

"Then get yer _creamy_ complected little ass, out here." He pointed beside him. Rogue shut her eyes, praying lowly to herself.

_"No,_" Logan yelled, his eyes crazed. "Rogue don-" He watched in horror as she stood, shaking. Finally, the guard let up on the stun gun. Logan fell to the concrete ground, panting and left numb. '_I'm fuckin' useless without my healing factor. Useless. Rogue-'_ She stepped outside of the cell, her stare already distant. The guard nodded in approval as the cell was locked. "Rogue-"

_"There_ we go. Brando, why don't you take a fifteen..." Brando, or maybe Brandon, did not seem surprised by his coworker saying that. Mumbling to himself, he exited through a door to make himself scarce. Logan watched helplessly as he shoved himself to a sitting position. She didn't need to be alone, with any man, without her powers. Not like this.

_"Listen you bastard-"_ But he did not pay Logan any mind.

"My name's _Ryland_." He reached with a bare hand and stroked Rogue, purple lip. Logan felt something snap inside of him when he watched Rogue shake, smelled her acrid fear.

_"Let'er go. And, ya live."_ Ryland smiled, the expression twisted his face.

_"I_ live?" He repeated, eyeing the curves of Rogue's growing body in her X-Suit. He flicked out a knife.

* * *

Logan blinked and he was backed into the corner of Charles' office, Scott, Jean, and Charles all looking at him strangely. Scott's hand was dancing around his glasses, but Jean has a hand on his arm. He exhaled, hard. Then again. "_Where's-" _What was going on? It had been so real, like he'd been trapped there again. Helpless.

"Kitty took her to Kurt. He's great with her." Jean said gently, breaking from Scott's side.

"Got lost in the memory," Scott murmured grimly. He had his eyes anchored on Logan, watching for any movements with Jean near. But, he had calmed, now. The professor had just gone too far, too fast. He was home, not on Genosha. Rogue wasn't... He inhaled deeply, trying slow his breathing.

"I want to see her." He said through one hand covering his face.

"I'll take you to her." Jean offered, grabbing his arm to lead him.

"We'll finish-" Charles began.

"After." Logan answered flatly, the mental probing leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. There was a reason his memory kept them at bay. Mere thoughts were enough to drive him into a berserker rage, today was proof. He sighed, stewing in silence beside Jean the whole way. She could sense the heavy feelings pervading him and didn't expect conversation.

They found the girl curled under Kurt's blue comforter, fast asleep. He was studying at his desk, his nose buried deep in books. Logan watched her sleep for a moment, his anxiety quelled. "Ah, she seemed tuckered out from earlier." He cast a wistful glance back at his bed. "She's a handful, _huh?_" Logan didn't answer, but Jean nodded. It was getting late, and though she could, Kitty couldn't be asked to look after Rogue.

"Hmm, I guess we do need to decide where she-" Logan wordlessly scooped her into his arms, leaving her undisturbed.

"There's a bed in my room I barely use, anyway. I'll make sure she doesn't get into anything." He offered, stone-faced. Kurt scratched his head.

"But, vhere vill_ you_-"

"I won't be sleeping a lot, Elf." He tossed a worried glance to the girl sleeping in his arms. "Not with her like this." When she was settled in his room and Ororo was reading a novel nearby should she wake or have a nightmare, he returned to the office where the telepath was waiting anxiously for him. The more he was left to his own mind to ruminate, the worse it got. Now, he understood what was plaguing the man. _'Oh, Logan...'_

"Are you sure that-"

"Yes." Logan cut in tiredly, the bags under his eyes a mile long. The sun had set long ago, and even though he was tired, he couldn't imagine sleeping anytime soon. "You said it'll help, _right_?" He grunted, planting himself in the chair before he changed his mind and left to go on a motorcycle ride. Charles hung his head, as though he was guilty.

"Yes, it will." He admitted. Logan sighed and leaned forward.

* * *

He flicked out a knife. "Mutants _aren't_ callin' the shots 'round here, right_ girl?_" A deep, visceral growl rumbled in Logan's throat when the guard yanked Rogue close to him, her body spilling onto his. That's when she finally reached her breaking point. She began screaming and spitting like a wildcat, fighting back only the way someone trained by Logan could, almost getting the slip depowered.

Ryland brought his fist to Rogue's gut and the air whooshed painfully out of her lungs. She cried out, collapsed against the man as he took the opportunity to become familiar with Rogue's physique. He moaned and she whimpered, causing Logan to scream out in a blind fury. He felt like an animal, not a man, as he watched the guard take liberties with his hands, liberties _nobody_ had taken with her.

_"ROGUE-"_

"She cute, for'a_ goth bitch_." He continued, leering into her face while she shut her eyes. "She _yours?_" He questioned, tossing a grin back at the cell.

_"Let me out,"_ Logan demanded, his nose wrinkled in disgust. _"Let me out."_

Rogue spat in the guard's face, covering his sunglasses in one shot. His grip tightened on her arm and she hissed in pain, Logan trembling in the cage. "Go to hell," She whispered, refusing to go out crying and whimpering in front of Wolverine._ 'It'll just make it fuckin' worse.'_ She thought, and neither of them needed it to be worse. Most guys were all talk, he knew what he powers were. How dangerous she was.

He removed his glasses slowly, his grin still wide. He stared into her stormy eyes with eyes as black as coal. "I _like_ you." He brought the knife up, the silver glinting in the light. Rogue turned her head away, Logan rising to his feet.

"Take me, torture me._ Leave her alone!_" He watched in terror as Ryland brought the knife clean through the lycra fabric of Rogue's uniform. It stretched and split, revealing milky, porcelain skin. Luckily covered by plain, seamless, black underwear. Rogue swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry as the terrible realization of what Ryland wanted dawned on Logan.

"What makes ya think ya got_ anythin'_ I want, mutie?" He snarled, pressing himself against Rogue's back. She inhaled sharply as he began peeling the fabric back, the cold air making goosebumps on her skin. She felt him get hard just from her touch._ 'Finally touchin'...'_ She thought, almost going numb at the thought._ 'And it's...'_ "Cain't normally touch this one, either? How nice..."

_"Rogue,_" Logan croaked. "Don't think about it. Don't think about him._ Focus on me_," He begged, his knuckles bloody from banging on the bars. _"Rogue,"_ She was going somewhere in her mind, and he needed her to stay with him. She gasped when he took a nibble at the base of her neck, the sensation repulsing her. Making her curl inward, dry heave. Reminding her of something very, very bad. "Rogue,"

"Ya like that, _girl?_ Huh?" The phrase was simple enough, breaking forth a dam of repressed memories full of pain, fear, and incomprehensible things._ 'Girl...'_ Somebody else used to call her that. Make her cry. _'Girl?'_

"ROGUE," In a sudden, violent movement the rest of the uniform is torn from her, her skin a strobe in the dark dungeon.

_"There_ we go, see, I like that." He inhaled Rogue's neck and it made her teeth chatter. Logan pulled helplessly against the bars, feeling his grip on humanity slipping. In a slow, terrifying dance he dragged the silver weapon up Rogue's skin like it was snow. Tickling her. Tantalizing her. Raping her sense of touch as much as he intended to her. "Can't do this all the time, make it_ sweet_ for ya."

"_I'm gonna hang you by your entrails."_ Logan promised. His face was chillingly even now, pushed past the point of emoting. Begging. Bargaining. He had crossed a line a long time ago, this warranted death._ "Maybe wrap them around your puny neck, would you like that? Dealer's choice. You pick how you want your colleagues to find you."_

The knife made it to her black bra strap, nicking it and leaving one, bottom heavy breast exposed. Death flashed in Logan's eyes, and not just death, but the most painful one he could imagine. Rogue was whimpering, now, the cold flashing across her nipple like the knife, itself. "Aw, she's got lil' ghost nipples. Like a porn star-" He cut the other strap and she screamed as her whole chest was left bare. One dirty, tanned hand grabbed a breast and Rogue bit her tongue until it bled.

She whimpered and he pinched her breast until it turned into a moan.

_"YOU,"_

Ryland moved his hand to Rogue's underwear and Logan went silent. Not a muscle moved, he didn't even breathe. "You don't want me to mess her pretty little body up, _do ya_?" Logan said nothing. He brought his knife down painfully slow, his eye contact with Logan, not Rogue. "You been wonderin' what's under here too,_ huh?_" Rogue inhaled. "You her daddy? Or her _daddy_? Which is it, girl?"

"Drop her, NOW," He wrenched on her tight, exposing the white of her neck. His fingers danced around the waist line of the black underwear.

_"Please,_" A single tear slipped out of her eyes. Logan would've gnawed his own arm off to get to her. "_Don't."_ Her voice broke, and something else inside of her did, too.

"Don't?" Ryland repeated, a bit giddy. "Aw, don't worry, girl. He wouldn't blame me." He sliced through the underwear, leaving Rogue bare. _'Girl.'_ It's what her father used to say. What he used to call her when he did things no father should ever do to his daughter. To any girl her age. Suddenly, the air is sucked out of the room in a vacuum_. 'No. Not, again.'_

Logan can't heal, but nothing can block his sense of smell. He can tell from the shift in her posture, to the color of her skin. The scent she's giving off. Something was changing. Things were going from bad, to _worse_. _"Marie!"_ Logan snapped, watching her cover in a sheen of sweat. "Breathe, okay? Just breathe." Ryland tugged her harshly when her knees refused to work.

"Prefer to lay?" He tossed her hard on her hip and she cried out when she hit the concrete.

_"Don'tyoufuckingtouchherIsweartofuckinggodI'lldestroyyourentirebloodline-"_ Logan was going beserk in the cage, a hell hound trying to do anything to get to Rogue.

She scrambled backwards, cutting her palms on rocks and glass as she tried to get away from an increasingly menacing Ryland. "Aw, don't worry, girl. It ain't that bad. It'll be the best..._ Ten minutes_ of your life." Rogue sobbed, which prompted Logan to think of a way to break his arm so he might be able to slide between the bars. _'Anything,'_ He thought, feeling his soul being wrung out.

_"No, please... Daddy, Ah-"_ Logan froze, feeling himself go numb all over. _"Ah promise Ah'll be good just... Please..."_ She was cowered in the fetal position, her body as small as she could make it. She was trembling, her forehead pressed against the concrete ground. Ryland just stared, his boner suddenly going soft. He was a bastard, but even_ he_ couldn't find that attractive.

Whistling, he grabbed Rogue harshly and tugged her towards the cell. Logan prayed to himself, his tired body shaking with adrenaline. The cell was unlocked and Rogue was tossed back in, naked. Shaking. "Gals and their daddy issues,_ right?"_ He sneered, watching in amusement as Logan shed his layers, anything to cover Rogue with. She was shaking and cowering, pressed as far away as she could be, even from Logan.

He tore off his shirt and draped it around her, but the damage was done. She wouldn't face him. Acknowledge him. This whole event had triggered something, something very serious. "Rogue-" He tried, his voice breaking. She screamed out, breaking out into sobs worse than when she was stolen for Apocalypse. She held herself, making herself as tiny as she could be.

Logan forced himself to give the girl some space, fantasizing about the guard's blood. What he would do to him-

* * *

With a cry, Charles severed his connection to Logan's memories. He had prepared himself for the worst, but he hadn't been ready to see what happened to Rogue while Logan_ felt_ it. They were some of the darkest feelings the telepath had encountered in a long time, and he couldn't blame him for it. What he had seen was vile, and it wasn't the end. He found himself angrier than he had been in a long time as he pulled away.

Logan was sweating and panting himself, but he shook his head. "I can keep-"

"_I_ need the break." Charles filled in somberly, one hand his temple. "That was hellish, Logan. I _never_ should've suggeste-"

"Not your fault." Logan cut in sadly. Nobody was shouldering his blame on this one.

"I pushed you to go on this bonding mission with help her come to term with her powers and what happened..." He lowered his head into his hands with a muffled cry. "Now, look what she'll need to deal with. I was a damn fool-"

"No, you weren't." Logan insisted. "I can't be killed and she has the strength of a hundred men. Neither one of us expected to have a greeting club waiting for us." He sighed, becoming angry and frustrated all over again. "She was _mine_ to look after." The telepath covered his mouth with his hand.

"I have always wondered..._ Worried_ about her life before Mystique." Logan shut his eyes, hoping he wouldn't have to continue talking about what they both saw. "She's given me permission, but I've never been able to access any memories... I always was scared she repressed them, because it would mean something like this." He stared at the knitted blanket on his lap that Ororo had made for him.

"She's told me she can't remember." Logan said stiffly. "One of _many_ things we have in common."

_"Logan,"_ Charles began gently. "It appears the abuse she suffered at the hands of the guard, well. It _triggered_ her. Triggered her to a trauma so severe, so deep, that happened at such a_ crucial_ developmental stage that she blocked it out to protect herself." He spoke slowly, carefully, and not because the man was slow. He was very intelligent, in fact. And, capable of reacting. "One that seems linked to her real father."

Logan's claws were already out. _"So,_" He tried, fighting the urge to cut furniture. "Now, why-"

"A defense mechanism. Rogue retreated into her mind at that moment, didn't she?" Logan nodded. "And, she let another personality take over?" He nodded again.

"Yeah. An _old friend_." He reported sourly. "Ms. Danvers."


	4. Psyche

_San Francisco_

* * *

"_You,_ stop right there." She was hovering right behind her, her cropped blonde hair blowing in her face. "I'm an Avenger, you're going with me." Rogue just stared, her mind too large a mass of confusing and conflicting memories to really understand her. Avenger? Who was _she?_ She just stared, like a deer caught in the road. Silent. Like she wasn't turning her teammates' brains into mush. "Stop your attack, now!" The Avenger's fist began to glow.

The scattered Avengers on the ground seemed to be released from Rogue's hellish, psychic torment. The mutant traitor pointed below her. "Now, to the ground." Rogue glanced down, then back at her. A clap of thunder was heard and lightning struck the Avenger, head on.

_"Carol!"_ Someone shouted from the ground. She clenched her teeth together, then shot forward fist first into Rogue. Rogue crashed into the ground but she rebounded quickly, the ground shaking underneath her. The other Avengers fled as the ground splintered beneath them. Shrieking, Rogue sent gale force gusts of winds towards her blonde assailant, covered in a red, gold, and blue unitard.

They didn't seem to phase her, she flew right through them and crashed before Rogue, sending her flying back. "You must not know who I am," The cocky S.H.I.E.L.D agent said, dusting herself off. "I'm Ms. Marvel. You might've heard of her." Rogue glared at her, her eyes dark like a cornered animal. She wasn't completely positive who she was, she was cycling rapidly through memories and personalities, and it was not under her control.

"Well, Ah'm the_ Rogue_." Rogue hissed, slinking along the shattered concrete. "Please, if ya don't wanna get hurt. Get _away_ from me." She was hunched over defensively, postured a lot like her mentor. The Wolverine.

"Well, my bone head team got involved in this mess, so it's too late for that." She said, crossing her arms as if this commotion was a mild annoyance to her._ 'Ah have to touch her..'_ Rogue thought. She'd thrown giant strength and the powers of a god at her and it didn't matter. If she was gonna escape back home with Kitty and Kurt, she had to. '_I'm not lettin' these creeps experiment on us.'_

Rogue jetted to the sky, right as Iron Man tried to tail her. His suit was crumpled, bent in odd places and not super functional. He fell back to the concrete, watching helplessly as she flew towards the Golden Gate Bridge. "I got it, Tony!" Carol insisted, taking after her. He reached up in vain. _'She hasn't read those damn diaries, don't do it!'_

"Ms. Marvel! Please! Wait!" He screamed. She never did listen to him.

Many thought she was a mutant, maybe a government experiment (ala Captain America and The Super Soldier Serum), but she was neither. She was part Kree, a race unbeknownst to planet earth for the most part. She had the power of the galaxy in her hands. She wasn't just earth's Avenger, she was the _galaxy's_ champion. She kept universes safe. But, she hadn't met the Rogue.

Rogue flew desperately to the bridge, feeling the massive metal beneath her fingertips thanks to Magneto. Ms. Marvel caught up to her easily. Magneto could fly by changing the density and the magnetism of the particles around him, Jean flew in a similar way. Carol flew like a missile, a tank locked on to Rogue's position. She could feel the air flying off the other woman as she whipped around her, cutting her flight off.

"Enough," Carol called, eyeing Rogue with a hard face. "You've caused enough of a spectacle." She looked upwards as hail began to fall from the sky. _'How... How can one person cause all of this?'_ She looked around as the damage below. _'I have to end this._' She flew forward her fist cocked. She did exactly what she wanted her to do. She grabbed at Rogue's bare throat with her gloved hand.

In a flash, Rogue lit her body aflame with Amara's powers. The heat didn't seem to harm the Avenger, but it did singe away her glove. "Are you finis-" She paused when she felt the gentle tug of Rogue's powers. Then, it grew violent_. 'No-No... She's absorbing me.'_ Rogue felt a white flash of hot light when their skin finally connected. She was unlike any other person she'd absorbed.

_'S-So much power,'_ She thought, staring at her with wide eyes._ 'No room, let me go-'_ The Avenger seemed frozen in place. Then, she screamed. They could both hear the Avengers screaming from below, cars stopping on the bridge to watch in terror. "Stop," Rogue hissed, reaching for the blonde's short hair. "Let go-" The other superhero was screaming, she didn't hear a word the mutant was saying. "_Ms. Marvel-"_

No human had ever absorbed Kree DNA before. For whatever reason, Carol was locked into place. She could feel her memories, her personality, her_ everything_ being ripped away. _'No,'_ She thought helplessly. _'NO,'_

"STOP," She screeched, Rogue dangling helplessly in her hands. "TURN IT _OFF-_"

"Ah CAN'T-" Rogue bit out, writhing in her grasp. Her eyes glowed white and lightning struck, thunder clapped. The rain poured, but she would not let go. She was squeezing tighter, actually. "CAR-"

"STOP TAKING!" She shouted, clutching her head. Even her galactic powers were waning against this one mutant. _'I can't...'_ She slumped to the asphalt of the bridge, mute. In Rogue's head, the chorus of an entire universe was screaming in her mind. All the echoes she'd absorbed before, these new Avengers, and what felt like_ all_ of Ms. Marvel's memories. Every last one. She'd never felt anything like it.

Tears were streaming down her face before she realized Carol's limp body was dangling in her arms. She felt like nothing, like a doll...

_"Rogue,"_

They were finally there. Logan was edging closer, the entire team looking terrified behind him. "Rogue-"

"They won't _stop."_ She whispered, both she and Carol going into the waters below.

"ROGUE-"

* * *

Rogue was huddled. Naked. Alone.

_'San Francisco...'_ She thought, her mind barely able to form the thought. No, she wasn't there. She hadn't been there for some time. Was this Gensoha? She didn't know, anymore. Her memories, her mind didn't feel like her own. Too many strange, unfamiliar thoughts, feelings. Memories. And her's were too painful to face. All she could do was shrink inwards...

"Stand up." She shrank, too scared to see her abusers, alone. "I said_ stand,_ Rogue. You're not in danger. You're in your _mind_." Slowly, Rogue looked up to see the woman. The blonde woman. _'San Francisco...'_ "But we _are_ in danger." Soon, Rogue could see the shadows, the silhouettes of all she'd ever touched, like an army.

"We." Rogue repeated, hunched over and covering herself. Her eyes dropped to the floor.

"Yes," Carol grit out, losing her patience, fast. "They hurt you, didn't they?" She tried, knowing she'd need to appeal to Rogue to get control of her body. Rogue didn't answer, but the look on her face said it. "You're young, and vulnerable. You _can't_ get out of this situation. I can. I have years of training through S.H.I.E.L.D." She looked up at the Avenger for the first time.

"You're not me." She answered, her eyes dull.

"You think I might not give your body back? Least of our problems, right now." Rogue heaved a cross between a sigh and a sniffle. "Please." She grit out. "Let me save _us._" Rogue couldn't go back there, not after... She shut her eyes tight. It didn't really matter if she got back to her own body at this point.

"Ok." She whispered.

* * *

Rogue had gone from cowering and fearing even Logan to nearly catatonic. She slumped against the wall, her eyes glossy and her breaths heavy. It scared him, most people who got this bad off did not return. Not anytime soon, anyways. He was holding her close, the girl's shivering body dwarfed in the bloody shirt of his uniform. He was talking lowly, softly. Reminding her there were people who cared about her, who would not judge her and hurt her. He wasn't sure she could hear him, and that made a lump in his throat grow.

Then she sat up suddenly, her stare clear. Lucid. "Rogue-"

"Not Rogue," She hushed, looking around in the holding cell. The two guards were still there. Logan stared at her, trying to understand what that meant. She didn't sound like Rogue. "We have to go get out of here-"

_"Carol?"_ He looked as if he'd seen a ghost, and he had. Rogue's psyches had taken over, but not like this before. It didn't speak well of her mental state. "Carol, what're-"

"The girl couldn't stand to be... _Present_ right now." She avoided Logan's stare. "We have to get out of here, so you can heal those wounds and free the prisoners." Logan clamped his mouth shut, they would talk about what was going on in her mind later.

"Alright," He answered, clearly not happy about it.

* * *

_Currently, Xavier's School For The Gifted_

* * *

Charles broke apart, needing the telepath's equivalent of a breath of fresh air. As painful as they were, Logan's memories were shedding a lot of light on Rogue's current state. "She relinquished_ full_ control to another psyche..." Rogue's powers never failed to amaze, terrify, and shock him. The more he learned about it, the more he wondered how Rogue dealt, at all.

"It was kind of good, Carol had tons of training about getting out of situations like that. Didn't take her long, neither." He lit a cigar, and considering the day they'd had, Charles let him. "But, it happened because she retreated so far into herself." Logan clutched a fist so tight around his lighter it shattered. Charles only sighed.

"I know. It is extraordinary, but not good. Not at all. Her sense of self should _never_ be so weak." He rubbed his fingers over his bald head. "So, when it was time for Carol to go back, Rogue wasn't ready to come forward..." Logan nodded wearily. "What we are left with is that inner child she's never honored, never been treated right. Which makes her reaction to Gambit interesting..."

Logan's face darkened. "The people she trusts on the team, here at the school... That she would never view sexually or even romantically, she trusts the same. Gambit, she doesn't because anyone she views in any sort of potential romantic light-"

"Terrifies her, deep down. Because of her mutation, her ability to hurt others-"

"The way her_ father_ hurt her." Charles dipped his head solemnly as Logan's mouth hung open.

"Y'think... The way her mutation manifested-"

"I do, certainly now." It'd always been Logan's worse fear, but he never wanted to believe it. That it could've ever been that bad. Worse, the girl had tried to walk tall. Tough it through all that pain, pain that brings the toughest and strongest people to their knees. All the training sessions, tough love, getting on her, he regretted it all now fully understanding the weight of her demons. "Mystique and Destiny knew her powers were coming, and how. Who _knows_ what added pressure they put on her trying to bring them about."

Logan scrubbed a hand tiredly over his face. "So, what now?" The psychic's face became hard.

"If I had to guess, her self, her _ego_... It's doing some serious work in her mind. Maybe, finally coming to terms with what happened to her and Ms. Danvers. I do not have an answer, a timeline... But we must trust and support our friend. Her working through this, _all of thi_s, as organically as possible is best case scenario. Her mind can not stand any heavy work now."

The rough man nodded. She was safe, physically healthy, things could've been worse. They thought they'd lose her in California. If all he had to do was wait, he could do that. "Get some rest, you look exhausted. We'll continue... Soon. I've been given a lot of insight towards Rogue's powers. I'll be speaking with Hank about that." Logan nodded dumbly, standing to exit. "None of this.. It's not your fault."

Logan grimaced. He'd blame himself for her father if he could. He grunted, appreciating the man's attempt to quell his turmoil. That would happen when she opened her eyes, looked at him with the same recognition she did before Genosha. He wandered into the hall, alone.


	5. Retreat

Rogue stood with her face towards the sun. She woke up at the crack of dawn, and Logan found that like him, being outside seemed to sooth her. She sat, in a black X-Suit, a massive, green sweatshirt, and one of his leather jackets. Her hands in the dewy grass, her head upturned to the sky. She just listened. Watched. Existed, with nature. It really gave her peace, a grin on her face for the first time in a while.

The feral man as well. It was helping him come to terms with some parts of this. He could not change the past. He couldn't go back and help her better. His memories were probably hidden for a reason, and whatever had transpired there he could not take back. He didn't remember, but as he stared at his gnarled hands he felt he'd broken his no killing streak.

Rogue reached out and touched one of his own with her's. This regression had also seemingly left her without her powers, Logan didn't let the girl out of his sight. On campus, she was usually calm. She only got agitated when Remy was around, heartbreakingly enough. Before this, before Carol, the two had been an item. But now, everything had changed.

"Please, Remy. _Reconsider_-" Charles begged as he, Ororo, and Jean all stood in front of the institute. "I _know_ things are difficult-"

"_Petite_ get upset ev'rytime she see Remy." He told the man with a grimace, his gloved hands shaking. "Lemme give her peace'n go." He started to turn away, but they kept talking._ 'Make it easy for Remy, non?'_ He thought bitterly. Every time she cried out for Wolverine and ran from him, he thought it couldn't hurt more. But, it did. It was agonizing, he couldn't bare it for a second longer.

"She doesn't _want_ you to go," Ororo pressed. "She doesn't know..." Remy just smiled. That was the worst part. He would hurt if he stayed or if he went.

"Better dis way, _non?_" The wind blew between all as he prepared to slink away.

"Don't give her something to blame herself for." Jean said, her mouth tugging down at the sides. He dropped his red eyes to the grass.

"Can' bare it, Red." With that he turned and disappeared from sight over the horizon. Charles didn't say a word as Ororo wheeled him back inside. Jean stood outside alone for a while, lost in her thoughts. That's when she sensed it. She flew to the backyard of the school, landing hurriedly next to the gazebo. Logan rose to his feet, but Rogue was too busy watching some birds fly back and forth.

_"Red,"_

"Something... Someone's coming. Take her-" He didn't need to be told twice. The whole institute was waiting for Mystique to try something. With Rogue so vulnerable, Logan was always on high alert.

"Mutant?" He asked, tugging Rogue to a standing position. She babbled absent-mindedly, not minding the pair's tense mood.

"No, machine." A growl rumbled in his throat.

_"S.H.I.E.L.D._" He pulled her along towards the school, daring Fury or any other Avenger's asshole to start something with him right now. "I'll get Kitty and Kurt with her in the Danger Room."

"They're already on their way." Jean answered, standing tall as Scott ran beside her. He was still hot about the whole California episode, attacking his unarmed and peaceful teammates, forcing Rogue to battle their entire team on her own had him livid. If they wanted to start a war with the institute, they could. He placed a hand on his glasses as they saw the incoming robot.

Iron Man paused in the sky before descending, his posture noting his defensive mood. Logan stomped out, Ororo, Hank, and Warren at his side as Iron Man approached them all.

"You_ people,_" He began, seething. Scott stalked forward, preparing to shoot a blast, but Jean held up a hand, halting him.

"I'd choose your words _wisely_, Stark." Ororo said. There was a smile on her face, but not in her eyes. Electricity crackled at her fingertips.

"Perhaps we all resolve to deescalate this situation." Hank tried, holding his hands out. He looked around tensely, everyone looked ready to fight. "Tony, I'm sure you can explain?"

"It's been_ six months_, The Avenger cut in, his pointing finger shaking._ "Six months_. No damn change. Carol's the same-" His voice broke unexpectedly. Logan pushed his way to the front despite protests, his eyes dark. He didn't have a ton of things to say to the Avengers team about what they put Rogue through. He had things he wanted to _do_ to them, though. Things he wanted to do about it. His claws were already out. Jean was preventing them from doing damage.

"Yeah, you came here for_ blood_, Stark? Yer _pound of flesh_?" Logan sneered, his voice gravelly.

"Logan," Ororo snapped, but he didn't hear her.

"Take out a child who got_ jumped_ by a government superhero team in _broad daylight?_ Huh? Still wanna go after her?" Tony was shaking, but he didn't say anything. His friend was in a persistent vegetative state. No amount of science or magic was changing that. The Avengers, the world, the _univers_e lost it's best hero. And he didn't know if he could go on the way he had been.

"That_ child_, wielded the power of a god." He cut in, his shaking. "She_ took Carol out_, just like the books-"

"What_ books?"_ Jean asked, the worry on her face. "This is important."

"I..." Tony huffed, exasperated. "I dunno, some mutant diary. Told the future. We used it to bust people-"

"Where did you get it?" She continued, disinterested in what he said.

"I? Fury-" She immediately shook her head. Ororo nodded in understanding, well versed in the craftiness of their foe, Mystique.

"Someone like Fury can barely be accounted for at any given time,_ can he?"_ The weather goddess questioned. Logan inhaled sharply.

"'Course not. Nobody_ ever_ really knows where he is or what he's doin'." He folded his broad arms. Scott cursed to himself.

"Oh, _god damn_ it. Who has the most gain out of an altercation between Ms. Marvel and Rogue? Mystique. She slipped you those books to manipulate this outcome. That's how Destiny's visions work." Scott seethed, his hatred for the shapeshifter coming out. There had always been bad blood between the two, and there always would be.

"I'm willing to bet she made sure you found those diaries, influencing the odds of her outcome happening." Jean continued grimly. Logan felt rage raise inside him like bile. If they traced this to Mystique she was going to be in a world of hurt, he'd make sure of it.

"She _knew_, she knew if you guys saw that one of your own was in danger..." Logan's fist clenched tight. '_Damn you, Mystique.'_

"That this would happen." Ororo shook her head. "We've all been duped by the same person, Stark."

"I want someone to _pay_ for what happened to my friend. She was a damn hero, in an assisted living home!" Logan grabbed onto the metal arm of the Iron Man suit, wrenching him into the school despite everyone's protests.

_"Wolverine!"_ Scott shouted in exasperation.

"Logan,_ please-_" Jean tried, trailing hopelessly after him.

"No, he wanted to see." He shoved the man in front of the parlor room where Rogue was cowering behind Kurt and Kitty. "We were_ captured._ On Genosha. The guards they were..." Tony just stared for a moment. "_This_ is the result. The guilt behind the accident that happened, the _stress _of the abuse she's... _She's like a child._" He told him with a shuddered breath. The mask removed from his suit and Rogue cowered further, whimpering.

He froze in place. "You set them up? Have some _friends_ on Genosha?" Scott accused, his face red. "To get back at them for Ms. _Marve-_"

"Scott!" Jean interrupted. Tony shook his head, the mask returning.

"No, _what?_ God no, okay. No. And I didn't come here to_ kill her_, either. Incarcerate her, maybe." He tossed a final glance at her. "Forget it. Just, forget I ever came here." Ororo folded her arms.

"You people should stop going rogue." She told him as he walked through the doors. He smirked, but nobody could see as he peeled off into the sky to fly back to headquarters before anybody noticed. Logan wiped a hand over his face, approaching the girl now hiding behind Kitty.

"S'okay, now." He said, softly. "He's gone." He held out a gruff hand and she slowly accepted, staring into his eyes the whole time. "C'mon. It's about time we all eat, anyways."

"Vhat vas_ that_? Vhy did he come here?" Kurt questioned, his tail flicking suspiciously.

"It's handled," Logan answered, his stare distant. "Don't worry."

"But-" Kitty began but he shook his head.

"It's fine, Half-Pint." He sighed, and he knew to back off. Avengers on their doorstep was not normal, but she would take the man's word for it. At least they had fought him off.

"I worry about them." She murmured as they disappeared in the mansion.

"Me too, Kitty." Kurt sighed. "Me too."

* * *

_"Sure,_ I could fix her." Remy was supposed to be done with Nathaniel Essex. He had found him young, deep in need when his powers were uncontrollable. Terrifying. Dangerous. Now, he knew better. Had to _be_ better for a certain someone, for the X-Men. He really, couldn't be groveling in his lab. But, he was. That was straight where he went when he left the mansion. He knelt, his eyes staring at the dirt floor. "For a price." The cajun winced, staring through unruly, auburn hair.

"Are ya_ sure?_ De profess-"

"Could fix her, too." The white mutant said with a yawn. "He could fix her, but he won't. A holistic telepath..." He chuckled. Remy frowned._ 'Das not true... Is it?'_ Mr. Sinister folded his arms. "It'd be pretty easy in fact, that's all you want?"

"Yes," Remy answered too quickly. "For her t'be normal." A sneer spread over the white mutant's face.

"Use your resources to assemble me the most_ ruthless_, lethal group of assassins. Then..." He clutched his hands together. "We'll talk." Remy swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

_"D'accord."_

* * *

_Genosha_

* * *

Rogue, or Carol rather, stood on the hill top draped in Logan's torn, uniform shirt and camo pants they had swiped on their way out. Mutants were fleeing in a mass exodus, once her inhibitor collar was removed, liberating had been light work. There was just one problem. Rogue was_ still_ Carol. The switch had made Logan uncomfortable, but it'd been necessary. Now, it was time to return her body to it's rightful owner.

"Carol..."

"She_ took_ this from me, you know." Their eyes met and sent a chill down his spine. "And, she doesn't even want it." He winced.

"That's not true-"

"She's scared, Logan. What happened there broke her."

"We'll sort it out, here." He insisted firmly. Not Rogue shook her head, but smiled.

"You'll see." Was all she said before dropping to the ground. When her eyes opened again, Logan saw what she meant. Right as the Blackbird landed, he saw her stare more innocent than he'd ever seen the teenager look. Carol had gone back, but whoever was brought forward was not Rogue. As he stared at her, the utter confusion and fear in her eyes, he got the feeling this personality would be at the front for a while.

_'My god...'_

* * *

Jean stood in the doorway of Logan's room, Rogue's nightmare waking her from a sound sleep. He was standing over his bed, a hand placed on her head as she slowly began to relax. "Nightmares," She called, her arms wrapped around her waist. Logan nodded slowly, pulling his hand away from her feverish forehead.

"Has 'em a lot." He grumbled, watching to see if she had anymore.

"She's lucky to have someone like you." Jean told him absentmindedly, remembering when he'd do this for her when she was a child.

"She's like this_ because_ of me," He snapped, one of his fists clenching. He dropped his shoulders when she placed a slender hand on his arm. He inhaled, enjoying the scent of cinnamon.

"None of this is your fault, Logan."

"Keep tellin' yourself that, kid." He turned and exited into the hallway.


	6. Switch

Logan stared at the Rogue that was not Rogue, but Carol. A grown woman, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. A woman stronger than any known X-Gene haver. She was present, but they were still powerless in a dungeon. And, Logan was hurt. "Anything necessary?" He repeated, his eyes locked on the girl. Her mannerisms were so strange, unlike Rogue's. Precise. Militaristic. He didn't like or agree with Carol using her body.

"My_ real_ body is in a hospital bed. I don't _care_ what you do, as long as we get out of here..." Logan's eyes were anchored on the guards. With that, Rogue dropped quickly to the ground. Playing possum.

"H-Hey..." He called out unsurely. "I said hey, somethin's wrong with her!" He cried, banging on the bars to get their attention. The predator ambled over, his eyes fixated on Rogue's covered body. Logan felt something animalistic snap inside him, again.

"She need a _dickin_', yet?" Logan felt something else break, something that could no longer promise his safety if he got out. _When_ he got out.

"It's her powers," Logan snarled dangerously. "They're different, that collar. It's killin' her! You know how _valuable_ she is? How much dog shit you'll be in if you let her die before they get live tissue samples?" The smirk slid off the mustached guards face. Whether he knew it or not, he was right. She was a type A priority mutant due to her abilities. Groaning, he approached the cage.

"Whadd'ya propose I do? Can't jus' give her powers back." He sneered into the cage, a key hovering in front of the lock.

_"Get a doctor to look at her, then."_ He looked into the feral man's eyes before unlocking the cage. If she was out, she couldn't protest his fondling. And, he did want to investigate her body further.

"Brando, go take another fif-" Ryland was screaming as Logan descended on him, his eyes black. All it took was one head butt with his adamantium skull. The guard was stunned, staring into the eyes of evil as the girl mutant sat up, watching. Staring impassively as Logan ravaged him. Without his claws available to do the trick, Logan lunged like a panther and grabbed a hold of the man's neck with his teeth.

In one, quick motion he tore out Ryland's throat and jugular. He was left hissing and gurgling as he sunk to the floor. Brando only watched, struck still by the sudden burst of violence. Not-Rogue watched in silence, some blood splattering on her face "Him. He can get these off." Logan looked up, his face washed red like the blood was a mask. The man had clearly detested Ryland.

"Be a good guy, Brando._ Not like him_." Logan spoke lowly, carefully. Brando looked around, at the spreading pool of blood, at them. He tossed an electronic key toward them before slowly backing away. Rogue held the fab to the collar around Logan's neck and it released him. With a pained grunt, his numerous wounds began to slowly heal. "Fuck. Finally." He turned toward Rogue who was standing with a stance he'd never seen before.

"Let's go."

* * *

Logan awoke with a jerk and a low growl vibrating in his throat. He was sitting in the armchair of his room, Rogue was sprawled on his bed under the covers. He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. If he did manage to sleep, he was plagued with nightmares. Nightmares of what he saw happen to Rogue and failed to prevent, nightmares that it happened again. That he lost her, the list went on.

But, this dream in particular had revealed something. He_ had_ killed, even with his mutation and powers stripped from him. It'd been his first course of action. He didn't regret it, but he was disturbed by his own repression of it. It was proof he was still the same kind of animal, same experiment he'd always been. That Charles had tried and failed to rehabilitate. He sighed.

The longer he was there, the less he felt he belonged at the school. He jumped out of reflex when he heard a knock at the door. Of course, it was Jean. She probably felt the nightmare minutes ago. He stared at her wearily, embarrassed and exhausted. "I wake you?" He grunted, scratching the back of his head. She smiled at him tiredly. He tried not to let his stare linger at her baby pink nightgown, getting shorter by the year.

"I can have insomnia, too." She peered at Rogue, fast asleep in his bed. "Everything alright?" Silence. The telepath chewed her lip.

"I killed-" The statement is unfinished, forced. Angry tears are welling behind his eyes, but not because he killed him. Because of what he did to Rogue. He clutched his fist, tight. "The guy who did that to her. First thing I did." He admitted, half expecting the psychic to recoil in shame or fear. She doesn't flinch, knowing in some ways, she and Logan were a lot a like.

"Nobody blames you." She answered evenly._ 'Some of us are glad, glad you did. Already knew-'_

"X-Men don't kill." More silence. She knew it went against everything, but nobody would be chasing after Logan about it anytime soon. He'd always promised to kill for and to protect the kids. They could hardly say that didn't count. Still, the man had wanted to believe he wasn't capable of such savagery anymore, that the kids had made him soft. She empathized with that, even though he'd do it again.

"She's gonna be alright," She responded, her hand on the doorframe. "We all will."

* * *

The next morning started like any other. Logan and Rogue woke and they went outside to walk the grounds. It kept her calm and centered, not restless. That's when he smelled it. Sabretooth was coming in fast, and he knew what for. He plucked Rogue out of the grass with ease, shuffling her towards the mansion despite her protests.

_'Logan, I sense-_' Charles began.

_'Sabretooth. He's approaching. I'm gettin' Rogue to safety, then I'll handle it-'_

_'Be careful.'_ Charles' head voice was stern. These moments were few and far between, but he did not want a war on his campus. When Logan spied Scott he transferred the girl to him, quickly. "Danger Room," He growled, the X-Men's leader nodding firmly. Sabretooth was Logan's territory, he didn't want any of them getting involved in his decades long affair. They all know he was just looking for a way to get under his skin.

"Got it, I'll take her." He tugged her gently and Rogue went along before casting one last look at Logan. He doubled back and tore back to the lawn, Creed's figure approaching on the horizon. He claws shot out, itching to collide with his skin. When he seemed to smell him as well he broke into a gallop, racing to meet with his claws.

_"Wovlerine,_" He growled, slamming into the man at full force. His metal pierced Sabretooth's shoulder but that didn't stop him from slashing viciously at Logan's face. He didn't waste time for words as he kept slashing at the other feral mutant, his eyes blind with rage that he would even think of trying to attack a vulnerable Rogue. Even mutants like him had a code, and he'd crossed a line. He was truly irredeemable.

_"Bastard."_ He hissed, trying to find a way to finally kill him. That's when Scott ran out into the garden, a leather jacket flapping behind him. Logan watched in silent fury as he ran forward and fired an optic blast at Creed, sending him flying. "SLIM. Didn't I tell you to get Rogue to the Danger Room?! I _got_ Creed." The resounding look of confusion, then fear on Scott's face made his blood ice cold.

"R-Rogue? You.._. What_?" Logan thought his heart might explode. Mystique had infiltrated the institute. They couldn't even pin point when. And now, Rogue was in her hands.

"No..." He growled, Sabretooth slamming to the ground suddenly.

_'Logan! The presence of Kurt and Rogue's mother has-'_

_'I know, okay. I gave Rogue right to her.'_

_'Sabretooth is subdued, Hank is on the way. Please, don't let her out of our sight.'_ Logan didn't bother with a response, his feet kicking up dirt and grass as he ran. He hoped Kurt wasn't nearby, he wasn't exactly sure what he might do to Mystique if he got his hands on her. Her interference could solidify Rogue staying the way she was. Just the thought made him blind with rage.

Rogue's scent stopped in an elevator. Ridden to the hangar, which was left open. Someone had been waiting, probably Destiny. "God, DAMN it." Logan shouted so loud he felt walls shake.

_'We have Creed, Logan. We'll use that-'_

_'Don't nobody want Sabretooth, Chuck. Especially not Mystique. She got her, Charles. What are we going to do?'_

_'She will not harm her.'_

_'Not intentionally.'_

_'Come to my-'_

_'I'm on my way. And keep Sabretooth out of my sight.'_


	7. Heist

Rogue and Mystique weren't known for their healthy relationship, together. Mystique had had her eye on the young mutant for years since Destiny could see the future. And ever since she lost her to the X-Men, she'd been plotting to get her back. Scheming. Toiling. She's been impersonating, influencing, and changing Rogue's future since she was little more than a child. Making her this person who didn't believe they would ever have anybody. This fostered a deep resentment and mistrust of the shapeshifter, and rightly so.

But it seemed, deep down, Rogue would accept any maternal affection thrown at her. The girl had always ached for real parents, a_ real_ family. In this compromised state, she trusted her. Though she had impersonated Scott, Rogue was no more startled when she quickly turned into her mother figure. She only watched her curiously. "Come darling, we must go." Without a peep, Rogue plodded along side her.

Moments later, moments too late, the X-Men would realize the stealthy bait and switch she had made. But it was more than enough time for her to make her getaway.

She'd finally gotten it, what she'd always wanted. And, Rogue put up barely a fight. If she felt any better, she would've returned to the institute to gloat. She was finally out of their clutches, she couldn't help but grin. And,she was never going back. Before even the X-Men could start tracking her, somebody was already on her tail. He had left but that didn't mean he stopped looking over her, not by a long shot.

Gambit was tracking the blacked out limo, Mystique none the wiser as she hurried far from the institute.

He had been banking on her trying something like this, the selfish woman couldn't help herself. All she wanted was for Rogue to love her, adore her. This was her only chance. The limo headed towards Hell's Kitchen, making it to an inconspicuous house. One Remy could be sure had Destiny inside. Moving quickly, shrouded in all black instead of his trench coat and most of his face covered by dark cloths.

Only his eyes were visible, and in them he had blue contacts he used to for had thief jobs. He hoped it had been his eyes that had scared the sensitive girl, he didn't want her to struggle against him. But, he knew she wasn't safe with the likes of Mystique. '_Hope she safe wit me.'_ He thought grimly.

The limo parked outside of the house and she spoke briefly with the driver, Rogue anchored affectionately on her arm. Once the car was out of sight, he pounced. Mystique knew the gas the second it hit her nostril._ 'No-' _She thought, trying to shove Rogue out of the way before she was knocked out. The gas was potent and fast working, her body became sluggish as Rogue got drowsy herself.

"No..." She croaked, Remy moving seamlessly from the shadows. Mystique fell to the ground as he caught Rogue's limp body, the hooded cloak falling from around her. He stared, running his fingers over the fabric of it_. 'I gotta do dis for her...' _He'd been missing her for so long. He felt terrible, but this reminded him why he'd sold his soul to the devil. Because he wouldn't watch the girl he loved like this any longer.

Holding her tight, he took off to where he knew Nathaniel Essex was waiting.

* * *

Logan was barking orders the second he stepped foot back in the mansion, mostly consisting of_ 'Get in the jet'_ and '_Help get the jet ready'._

_'Lucky for us I, always assume the worst,'_ Logan growled mentally to Charles._ 'Hank and Forge got together and made that bracelet idea I bugged them about. I got her a discreet tracking device. Undetectable. They won't know we're comin' hot.'_ He cracked his knuckles, hoping he could restrain himself around Mystique with Kurt around.

Charles nodded in his office. '_Awesome thinking. We need to spare Rogue as much trauma as possible, Logan. This is imperative. This could be the difference between her recovering and staying as she is,'_ He felt dread swirling in his chest. He knew the shapeshifter was banking on them being light handed and careful about her. They would get her back and delicately as well. He had all but been anticipating this.

When it came to Rogue, there were many who could not leave her well enough alone._ 'Trust me, I know. You don't have to worry about that. That bracelet doesn't just track her, it'll tell us the mutations of the X-Gene carriers around her. That way, we'll know exactly what we should be expecting. Make this as painless as possible.'_

_'Perfect. And Logan, good thinking.'_ He sent a grunt back in response, pleased slightly to find the whole team already in the hangar. Even better, Kitty had begun tracking the I.D in Rogue's bracelet. The whole team was huddled around the plane's console, scratching their heads. Bobby looked around quizzically, but nobody seemed to want to speak. "Alright, we aren't goin' far yet, are we Half-Pint?" Jean turned to face him first, unsurely. Then Scott.

_"Uh..."_ Kitty spoke up first. "Not far, but..."

Scott folded his arms impatiently. "She _isn't_ with Mystique anymore." He reported, his hands jittery. Logan's face darkened._ 'Then, who is she with?'_

"Oh? What does that thing say?" He approached quickly, leaning over Kitty to get the coordinates and information. The description of the mutant wasn't a shapeshifter, it said abilities to kinetically charge things. And signature black and red eyes. A growl rattled out of the man's throat, this was weird. If Mystique took her, why was he involved at all? It didn't add up.

"Gambit's got her?" Kurt said finally, scratching his head. He was reading the passage about the mutant over and over again. "But... Vhy,_ how-"_

"He must've seen Mystique and intercepted her before they got off." Jean reasoned, wishing Logan would calm down. He was really angry, so angry his face was just blank. Jean especially was familiar with this mood. It was close to a point of no return, for him. "This is good, she's safe with him!"

"Then, why is he moving _away_ from the institute?" Scott continued, his voice rising. Kitty hadn't even wanted to say it, she knew everyone would see what had her so uneasy. She trusted Remy, at least she liked to think so. But she couldn't understand why he'd take her anywhere but the school, especially with her so fragile. Even if he had good intentions, he could do a lot of damage to her.

Jean watched the GPS footage carefully. It was true.

"What if he's working for her? Or worse, someone _else?_" Logan snarled. He hadn't want to assume the worst of the former Acolyte but he had no choice, now. This was all too ruthless and incriminating. And, if he was off seeking madness to restore the girl before she was ready, he'd handle the situation himself. He wasn't feeling patient or kind.

"Okay, we've got the coordinates. Maybe, Remy just isn't thinking straight... We intercept them and bring them both-" Jean tried, hoping to keep everyone calm.

"If he's kidnapped Rogue in the state she's in, he's_ not_ coming back to the school." Scott stomped his foot for emphasis. Logan growled, again. "It would be reckless, not to mention selfish..."

"Seconded." He added, his eyes glinting with malice.

"Let's just wait and see what's going on before we carve somebody, please." Jean held her hands up defensively as Kitty whimpered._ 'He loves her, whatever he's doing... He believes it's the best thing to do. Whatever he's doing...'_ She sighed as the jet pulled, Scott siting silently in the pilot's seat. Remy would never take advantage of Rogue like this, would he? Even the telepath was beginning to feel unsure.

Whatever the case, hopefully this wouldn't make her situation any worse than it already had been. Because if so, there would be hell to pay.


	8. Return

"Are you ready to face these consequences, LeBeau?" Sinister is practically grinning at the complicated situation the mutant has found himself in. Red and black eyes tear from a porcelain face to stare at Sinister. "The girl may not_ want_ to return from where she's at." The look on Remy's face became pained. Was this for her and her suffering? Or, was he doing it because it hurt him? More than he could stand. And, he couldn't bare it anymore. He didn't want to think of the answer. He didn't want to contemplate why Charles had left her with the mind of a child. He was already here, there was no backing out.

"Been sure." He snapped, studying the sleeping girl's face._ 'Remy hope dis what she wants... If not, Remy hope she will forgive me._' He shut his eyes tight as Sinister leaned over her.

"What is it you're doing?" The telepath muttered to himself. From what he understood, it shouldn't have been difficult to do. And, he wondered why Charles wouldn't touch her mind with a ten foot pole. It didn't matter much to him. "Well, it'll have to wait." He sneered, hoping it sowed the discord between her and Remy that he wanted it to. "It's time to rejoin the party..."

Remy stared anxiously as her forehead twitched.

* * *

_Inside of her mind, Rogue faced off with the fallen Avenger. They stood on the clifftop where they stood every day, ever since Rogue retreated into her mind. Some days were more productive than others, some Rogue thought she'd never return to her life. That she'd remain there, getting the floor wiped by her arch nemesis as reparations. _

_Rogue stared at her hands, covered in emerald green gloves. Her whole bodysuit was dark green, the one Mystique used to make her prowl around in. Somehow, she knew this was her mother's fault. She's been scheming on the girl's life since before she was born. No matter how hard she tried, she was still just an extension of the woman's villainous tendencies. _

_And, Carol Danvers was trapped inside her mind. Forever. _

_"Get up, Rogue." Her hands clutch soil in her hands as she stands on her feet. Today, Carol's hair is long and bright blonde. Her uniform is black and red, a bodysuit with a mask. "As much as I hate you, even I tire of this." She folded her arms as the girl wiped her face with the back of her arm. "Stop running away. Go, return to your life." _

_The silver haired girl smiled, again. And, it makes Carol even madder. "No." She stared into hateful, blue eyes. "Not until we make this right..." She answered breathlessly, like she always did. She winced when Carol took to the air. The Rogue in her mind could not fly and fight the way she can. _

_"How would you propose we do that? Wiping the floor with your metaphorical self can only do so much..." Her hands began to glow bright orange. "Have you figured a way to get my soul out of your narrow mind? Crack your head open like and egg pour me out, so I can at least move on before you do?" Tears stung Rogue's eyes, but it was no worse than it had been everyday. _

_For days, weeks, months she'd endured this. And, more she would until they could both find a way to move on from San Francisco. "Ah... Ah don't know." She admitted finally. She wasn't even twenty, yet. She didn't have very many answers to anything. _

_"Of course you don't." Rogue stepped backwards as the beautiful woman stalked forward. She was everything Rogue wasn't, just like Jean. Powerful. Strong. Sun kissed and beautiful. A real woman. A woman stronger than all of the X-Men. "This is about what happened to you on that god-forsaken island. Not me and you-" _

_"No," Rogue begged. "You're wrong." She stared out into the clouds as she hugged herself. "What happened on Genosha... It forced me here. But, even as terrible as it was..." Even Carol looks uncomfortable, seeing as she witnessed and experienced the entire experience with her. "It gave me this opportunity." Carol's eyes hardened as she met the girl's optimistic stare. _

_"Maybe." She shrugged. "But, that doesn't mean you will make something of it." Rogue felt her heart shatter. If they couldn't come to some resolution, she'd be tasked to live with this on her conscience, forever. Just the thought is unbearable. "You won't hear the words 'I forgive you' pass these imaginary lips. I will never forgive you, accident or not, for what you've taken from me." She shrinks when the woman raises her hand, but she only jabbed her chest. "There isn't a Charles Xavier love and harmony answer to everything. And, you are a fool to think your suffering here would change anything. How I feel, my current predicament... None of it." _

_Carol clutched her fists so tight they shook, but Rogue squared her face. "Then. Ah have to keep trying." The former Avenger chuckled bitterly. "Trying... To change your mind. Trying to find a way to make this right." _

_"Is that what your professor told you?" Carol asks, her rage giving way to a despondence. Rogue tried to smile. _

_"It's what Ah've learned, since joining the X-Men. There is a way to make things right, there always is. It just... Might take a while. Most things worth doing, do." Both women gasped as the cliffside started to fade away, crumbling away from existence. Rogue was being pulled from her mind. 'No, no please... Ah' m not ready.' Carol only shut her eyes as the recesses of her mind became darkness. "No, please. Carol, don't shove me out. Don't do this." _

_"I'm not." Is all the blonde answers, watching as the pale girl began to fade. "But, if they didn't, I would've." _

_'No-' Rogue slides off the cliff side. "Carol, please. Wait!" _

* * *

Rogue took in a breath, like her first. No more was the personification of her innocence. She was Rogue, again. And, the work she was doing in her mind was not finished. Would maybe never be finished, now. She took in another panicked breath as bright lights occluded her vision. Sterile. But, not in the same way as the mansion's infirmary. This was far worse. She didn't recognize where she was or who she was with.

But, she vaguely recognized a scent. One she was familiar with. Earthy._ 'No, please...'_ Gambit. No sooner had she shot up did she see him sitting anchored by her side. He was shrouded in his trench coat and strange blue and magenta armor. But, it was him. And, he'd sold his soul to save the girl from a fate he didn't understand. "_Remy,"_

He grabbed her clothed arm, aware but not deterred by her lack of gloves. "_Marie,"_ He whispers, and it makes her stomach hurt. "You're... Ah-"

"What did you do." Is all she says, tears welling in her eyes. Carol's face already fading from her memory due to Charles' extensive work to her mind. Her memories, her life. It mattered, and it was all slipping through her hands_. 'No...'_ She knows Charles and Jean wouldn't have removed her from this state, who knows where he'd taken her at his lowest. "Remy..."

_"Chére,_ listen-"

"Mr. Lebeau grew tired of waiting for you mental faculties to return." Rogue began to bristle the moment she heard Sinister's voice. Nothing the man would do came without a price, that she already knew as she looked around at his failed experiments. She was a scientist's dream, and he didn't save her for free. Whatever it was, she wasn't about to pay. "So, he tagged in an_ old friend_..." His smile grew wide as he sneered at them, sharpened teeth glinting. "And, now you _both_ owe a debt." His eyes glinted red as Remy held his staff in front of Rogue. He'd expected this.

The cloak had fallen from Rogue's shoulders as she seethed. "Oh, you _really_ outdid yourself, cajun..." Rogue began, her rage rising. Being left to a man who referred to himself as Sinister made facing Carol a cakewalk. Silver bangs shook into her face. "Why-"

"Remy couldn't see ya in pain." He answered truthfully. Rogue only scoffed at this as she took to the air.

_"Really?_ Ya know my pain, now? What Ah can and can't handle? Jus be honest, Remy. Ya selfish. Ya always been selfish." The words cut the most because they're true. Remy couldn't bare to be apart from her, to see the woman he knew and grew to love be a shadow of herself. Not any longer. It nearly drove him mad. He forced himself to meet her stare.

"Ya not wrong, _chére_. Remy_ is_ selfish. Remy couldn' even begin t'see you in what he saw as pain. Because, dat hurt Remy, and he seen ya been in pain long enough." He admitted. He frowns when Rogue doesn't seem anymore understanding. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"Ah don't know if Ah'm gonna have another chance to do what Ah wanted. And, Ah wasn't finished." Remy knew the risks of what he'd done. Even if it had spared her, she would never reconcile with being brought to Mr. Sinister for fixing.

_"Désolé,_ Rogue." He drops his eyes from her's and turns in time to knock a collar away from clasping around Rogue's neck. Mr. Sinister is grinning as many more hover behind him. Remy's snarling, cards glowing in his fist. "No time fo' dis, now. Go. Run. Remy made dis mess," He tossed the glowing projectiles as Sinister faded away. "Remy_ deal_ wit it." He turned in surprise when Rogue lifted a massive, test tube over her head.

"Not even _you_ deserve to be left here." Is all Rogue says, her eyes waiting for the scientist to reappear. "We'll deal with the rest wh-" A rocking explosion led her to forget her current issues with Remy. It was the combined efforts of Scott and Piotr who tore into Sinister's lab as though it were made of tin foil. Logan manages to bust in first, a savage look on his face followed closely by the blue furred teleporter.

_"ROGUE,"_ She hears a wildness in his voice that she hasn't heard in a long time.

"She's _here_!" Jean cries out, and all hell breaks loose. Scott removes his visor when Mr. Sinister reappears, giddy at the fact that two of his favorite mutants have finally shown. This is better, now. There is no mutant DNA more powerful than his, and no stronger mutant than the future Phoenix. He knows this. Scott is not in the mood to be examined.

Sinister even forgets that Scott's intergalactic blasts are one of few things that can harm the genetic experiment. He's been hiding in the shadows, waiting to be noticed by his favorite mutants. Scott's optic beam at full blast knocks the man through his own experiments, screaming. Jean lowers beside him and uses her vast powers to amplify her boyfriend's.

Jean and Charles have seen this menace in their visions. They know the true dangers the man encompasses. The X-Men look on in shock as Scott bares down on the strange mutant at Jean's telepathic urging. Logan rushed to Rogue's side, too relieved to be as angry as he wanted to be with Remy. Even if it restored her, delivering her to the hands of a mad scientist was unforgivable.

Mr. Sinister screamed behind them as he looked carefully into Rogue's eyes. Grey. Tired. Sure. She was flying, and her eyes were alert. "Rogue," He barely whispered, and the girl moved carefully towards him as not to touch her skin to his. Kurt galloped to their side as Remy just watched. The girl had not been herself, but she knew how her friends and family had cared for her. Logan, maybe most of all.

_"Logan._" Even as the laboratory erupted into chaos behind them, a tear slips past her eye. "Lo-" He just realizes he hasn't heard her speak a word since that fateful day. He never imagined he'd be so relieved to hear her hoarse, southern voice. He pulled the girl close to him in silent relief, and Kurt anchored to their side as Kitty and Piotr watched. "Logan,"

"I'm here." Is all he says, stripping himself of his gloves and handing them to the girl. "_We're_ here." She's shaking as she grabs his hands and looks into his eyes, knowing he has blamed himself for something he couldn't control. For pains the girl carried long before she ever met the paternal man.

_"Ah'm sorry,"_ Is all she whimpers. "Ah'm sorry Ah didn't come back sooner... Ah know, you _needed_ me." He hushes her, not even realizing that Mr. Sinister has been turned to a sizzling stain on the ground. She was always so worried about others and their problems. It wasn't a wonder she needed to retreat into her mind for a while.

"Don't you ever apologize, for none of it. You don't owe me an explanation, Rogue. Not about this." Jean descended to the ground, a severe look on his face. Scott can't quite believe what they'd done, together. But, he isn't sorry. Too many things have happened to too many people he cared about.

"Is he..." Bobby begins, but silences himself when he sees the look on Jean's face.

"No, Bobby. He regenerates." She explained calmly. "But, Scott's blasts can harm him. We've driven him away. For now." Scott replaces his visor with a grunt.

"Good riddance," He spat after tossing a glare at Remy. "And, _you_..." The cajun mutant dropped his head. He could face Rogue any day, but he wasn't looking forward to the judgement coming from the peanut gallery.

"Not now, Scott." Jean warns, her eyes on the ground. Even he smiles when he sees Rogue in Logan's arms, Kitty and Kurt looking at her with wonder. Whatever had happened, it seemed their teammate was back. Whatever else they needed to do about it, they would figure it all out. Rogue being back almost makes the trouble worth it.

"Is it..._ You_?" Kitty questions, realizing she hasn't heard her friend speak in months. She's wringing her hands, nervously as she waits. Rogue's expression is somber, her arm linked it Kurt's.

"Yes, Kit. It's me... Ah'm sorry... For everything Ah put y'all through..." She stared at Logan's oversized gloves on her hands. Even Piotr shook his head.

"Don't, seriously." Kitty insisted with a frown. Not even Scott knew the full extent of what happened on Genosha and why Rogue had returned the way she did. What Jean felt comfortable relaying (Rogue's complicated family history, possible evidence of abuse, and the seriousness of the trauma that had transpired) had sent the X-Men's leader into the Danger Room for hours. They just knew only something horrible would render her in that state.

"Yes, you don't owe us any apologies." Kurt insisted, wrapping an arm around his sibling. "Really." All three mutants jumped when Logan shot his claws, dark eyes lingering on the southern mutant in the trench coat. He had expected this, and he was ready to face the girl's firing squad of a school. Scott following the broad mutant's stare, a hand on his chin.

"Only _one person_ here owes _us_ an apology," Logan snarled, thankful he'd had the presence of mind to think of a bracelet to track the girl. "And_ sorry_ ain't gonna cut it, gumbo. Only thing I'm cuttin' is _into your skin!_" Remy says nothing. "_I'm gonna enjoy this, pretty boy..._" The animal part of the man was taking over, and like Genosha, soon he didn't know what he'd do.

_"Logan,_" Jean holds up a hand when the man leaps over an observation table to get to Remy, the New Orleans native watching silently. Her powerful telepathy holds him back, but it doesn't contain the rage that that's coursing through his veins. "Not now!"

"Jean's right." Rogue's hoarse voice finally calmed the former Weapon X project. "Ah'm... Not like Ah was before." A stare that's older than her years lands on Remy. "Ah can handle myself, again. Thank you," Her gloved touch calmed twitching skin and muscle, finally diverted eyes intent on causing Remy pain. "For doin' it when Ah_ could not._" When her voice breaks, Logan takes his attention from Remy and back on her.

"I'll always protect you. All of you." He insists, struggling to fight the instinct to harm Remy for what he's done. For putting Rogue in indescribable danger. And, though he means it for every student of the school, Rogue knows there's a lot left unsaid about the strength of their bond. Things that didn't have to be said. She can handle herself now, and she needs to. As he looks into confident, grey eyes, he no longer feels the need to protect her. At least, not from the boy.

Ororo and Piotr approach the girl in wonder. Her eyes are sharp, quick. Their teammate is back. No longer would she need to be protected. She was back helping them protect others. Cautiously, the white haired woman placed her hands on Rogue's shoulders.

"Let us go home, please." She insists with a watery smile. "Charles has been so upset he had to take a dampener pill." Rogue nodded slowly, Remy having enough sense to hang behind, for now. Rogue looked into the eyes of her teammates, even Remy. They'd stuck by her side no matter how hard it had been.

"Let's go home, Ororo. Everyone."


End file.
